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26. Miami Heat - Hindered by injuries to Justise Winslow, Dion Waiters, Josh Richardson and James Johnson, the Heat lost all four of their games this week, which pushed their losing streak to five. Russell Isabella, USA TODAY Sports

25. Minnesota Timberwolves - Don't read too much into the Timberwolves' one-spot upward shift, as it's more a result of Miami's five-spot drop than a testament to Minnesota's on-court performance. Nell Redmond, AP

24. New Orleans Pelicans - Not only did the Pelicans lose all four of this week's games, but they fell to the 76ers at home on Thursday — a loss that snapped Philadelphia's 23-game road losing streak. Gerald Herbert, AP

23. Denver Nuggets - Playing the bulk of a six-game road trip, the Nuggets went 2-2 this week, with wins over Philadelphia and Orlando and losses to Brooklyn and Washington. Anthony Gruppuso, USA TODAY Sport

22. Orlando Magic - The Magic started off the week strong with road wins over Detroit and Washington, but followed it up with three straight losses to Boston, Charlotte and Denver. Kim Klement, USA TODAY Sports

20. Los Angeles Lakers - The expected return of guards D'Angelo Russel land Nick Young should help kickstart a Lakers team that's been limping along to a five-game losing streak. Thomas Shea, USA TODAY Sports

19. Washington Wizards - The Wizards are still nowhere near where they'd like to be, but with a 3-1 week in the books headlined by Saturday's late-game comeback win over Milwaukee, they're starting to take some steps in the right direction. Nick Wass, AP

18. Portland Trail Blazers -The Blazers' offense is still firing on all cylinders behind stellar play from a star-studded backcourt of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, but the defensive side of the floor has been a different story entirely. Aaron Gash, AP

17. Indiana Pacers - The Pacers were dismantled by the Warriors (142-106) on Monday and fell to the lowly Mavericks on Friday, but managed to grab wins from Phoenix and Portland on Wednesday and Saturday, respectively. Mark J. Rebilas, USA TODAY Sports

16. Atlanta Hawks - There was a collective sigh of relief throughout A-Town this week, as the Hawks recovered from their seven-game skid with wins over Miami and Milwaukee. Dale Zanine, USA TODAY Sports

15. Milwaukee Bucks - The Bucks have come back down to earth a bit after going on afour-game winning streak. They lost three of four games this week to San Antonio, Atlanta and Washington in closely-fought battles. Benny Sieu, USA TODAY Sports

13. New York Knicks - Though the week was overshadowed by Wednesday's brutal 32-point loss to the Cavaliers onthe hallowed grounds of Madison Square Garden, the Knicks have won five of their last six games and are right in the thick of things in the East's playoff picture. Elsa, Getty Images

10. Charlotte Hornets - Don't look now, but the Hornets are back near the top of the Eastern Conference standings after winning three of their four games this week against Dallas, Detroit and Orlando. Sam Sharpe, USA TODAY Sports

T-8. Utah Jazz - Despite the fact that starters George Hill and Derrick Favors have each played in just 11 of Utah's 25 games with nagging injuries, the Jazz are doing more than simply staying afloat. They're proving to be a legitimate contender for the West's fourth or fifth seed. Russell Isabella, USA TODAY Sports

T-8. Oklahoma City Thunder - Riding the reign of MVP frontrunner Russell Westbrook, the Thunder have won six of their last seven games, with their lone loss coming against Houston on Friday. John Bazemore, AP

7. Memphis Grizzlies - Common knowledge suggested that the Grizzlies were going to take a significant step backafter Mike Conley went down with a back injury in late November. Instead, the Grizzlies have gone 6-1 without their star point guard on the floor, and after holding the Warriors to a season-low 89 points on Saturday, it's looking like common knowledge was wrong. Nelson Chenault, USA TODAY Sports

6. Los Angeles Clippers - After Sunday's nine-point loss to the Pacers and Wednesday's 17-point beatdown at the hands of the Warriors, the Clippers made it clear that they're still a ways away from being a championship caliber team. Jae C. Hong, AP

4. Toronto Raptors - The Raptors fell to Cleveland on Monday for the third time this season, but have been the clear-cut second-best team in the East through the first quarter of 2016-17. Kevin Sousa, USA TODAY Sports

3. Cleveland Cavaliers -LeBron James saidhis Cavs needed to "get out of the honeymoon stage" after three straight losses to the Bucks, Clippers and Bulls, and that's exactly what they did this week with wins over Toronto, New York, Miami and Charlotte. Elsa, Getty Images